Class Notes

1967

Frank J. Klosik Jr., Atlanta, recently received acknowledgement for 50-plus years of active practice of the law in Georgia.

1976

Emil L. Hunter, Missouri City, Texas, is enjoying her retirement in Missouri City, just 20 miles southwest of Houston.

1978

Jack J. Carriglio, Glenview, Ill., was recently named to the Judiciary Committee of the American College of Trial Lawyers—the preeminent organization dedicated to maintaining and improving the standards of trial practice, professionalism, ethics, and the administration of justice. Carriglio is a member of Cozen O’Connor’s Commercial Litigation practice.

1979

Jeffery M. Leving, Chicago, published an op-ed in the Chicago Sun-Times in May 2022: “Child Welfare Decisions Should Not be Made by Computer Algorithms.” Leving also spoke on behalf of his good friend, United States Congressman Danny Davis (D-Illinois), at an event in May 2022 with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois). Leving is the owner of his own law firm and specializes in family law.

1982

Michael M. Marick, Chicago, was recognized in the 2022 edition of Chambers USA: Leading Lawyers for Business in the practice area of Insurance Dispute Resolution:

Insurer-Illinois. Chambers USA reported that Marick “draws widespread praise for his successful representations of domestic and international insurance companies in complex, high-value disputes.” Marick, a partner at Skarzynski Marick & Black LLP, is widely regarded as one of the leading attorneys in the United States representing liability insurers in coverage and bad faith matters.

1983

Nancy E. Paridy, Evanston, Ill., was named president and chief administrative officer of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in September 2021. Paridy has held various roles at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago) since 1995.

1984

Margherita M. Albarello, Arlington Heights, Ill., was hired as partner at Golan Christie Taglia LLP’s Chicago office. Albarello concentrates her practice in all areas of employment law, regularly counseling clients in matters pertaining to the Fair Labor Standards Act and Illinois wage and hour violations, Equal Pay Act violations and misclassifications, trade secret litigation, non-compete/ non-solicitation restrictive covenant agreements and litigation, and False Claim Act and Whistleblower Act violations.

1987

Andrea Lubelfeld Urdangen, Evanston, Ill., was promoted to chief of the juvenile justice division for the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender, where she will continue to represent indigent people accused of crimes.

1989

Michael Bertucci, Chicago, was installed as treasurer of the Justinian Society of Lawyers in September 2022.

Amy R. Blumenfeld Bogost, Madison, Wis., was appointed vice president of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents in June 2022. Blumenfeld Bogost has her own practice focused on representation of victims of sensitive crimes and federal Title IX violations.

1993

Carlos R. Olarte, Bogota, Colombia, is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the firm that he founded in 2003, OlarteMoure. OlarteMoure now has more than 200 employees, including six partners and 70-plus professionals, spread over five offices in Colombia and Asia. The firm is focused on intellectual property and competition, but has built strong platforms in other areas such as compliance and data privacy. One of the things that Olarte most enjoys about his work is always meeting classmates and Chicago-Kent grads during his travels.

1995

Keith D. Picher, Elmwood Park, Ill., joined the Chicago office of Faegre Drinker in May 2022 as a pursuits and proposals manager.

1996

Lara B. Pennington, Mapelwood, N.J., was recently promoted to the director of the appellate advocacy program at Seton Hall University School of Law in Newark, New Jersey. She has been teaching appellate advocacy and introduction to lawyering courses at Seton Hall since 2004.

Krista S. Schwartz, Lafayette, Calif., has joined Willkie Farr & Gallager LLP’s San Francisco office as a partner in the Intellectual Property Department.

1997

Jorge Ramirez, Lemont, Ill., was appointed to the National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC) by United States President Joe Biden. The NIAC advises the White House on how to reduce physical and cyber risks and improve the security and resilience of the nation’s critical infrastructure sectors. Ramirez is a managing director at GCM Grosvenor, where he focuses on labor and government strategies and initiatives and serves on the ESG Committee and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

2000

Jason J. Friedl, Chicago, was named in the 2023 edition of the Best Lawyers in America. He is a senior attorney at Romanucci & Blandin, LLC.

2001

Melanie B. Pell, Louisville, Ky., was promoted to chief field operations officer for the American Jewish Committee (AJC), a global Jewish advocacy organization. In this role she oversees AJC’s 24 regional United States offices and creates strategies to expand AJC’s advocacy footprint across all 50 states.

Jeremy R. Thompson, Round Rock, Texas, has joined Latitude as director of legal recruiting and placement in the Austin, Texas, area. Latitude is a high-end legal services company that specializes in providing experienced attorneys and paralegals to legal departments and law firms nationwide on an engagement (short- and long-term) basis and for permanent, direct-hire positions. Latitude serves a range of clients, including Fortune 500 corporations and Global 50 law firms.

2002

Gina M. Arquilla Deboni, Glenview, Ill., was named in the 2023 Edition of the Best Lawyers in America. She is a managing partner at Romanucci & Blandin, LLC.

2007

Kristen E. Prinz, River Forest, Ill., was named one of Crain’s Chicago Business’ 2022 Notable Women in Law. Prinz is founder and managing partner at The Prinz Law Firm.

2008

Margaret Battersby Black, Elmhurst, Ill., obtained a $20 million jury verdict in a birth injury case in June 2022 and was recently named a Notable Woman in Law by Crain’s Chicago Business. She was also appointed as a managing partner at Levin & Perconti, and will now share responsibility for the strategic leadership of the firm.

Michael E. Holden, Park Ridge, Ill., was elevated to partner at Romanucci & Blandin, LLC. Holden was also named in the 2023 edition of the Best Lawyers in America

2009

Ruth B. Lopez-McCarthy, Oak Park, Ill., was honored with the International Award of Merit at the Illinois Institute of Technology Alumni Awards in September 2022. LopezMcCarthy was chosen for her significant impact on immigrant and refugee communities on a local, national, and international level. Lopez-McCarthy currently serves as senior immigration fellow for the State of Illinois.

Sulema Medrano Novak, Chicago, was appointed to the Chicago Board of Education. Medrano Novak currently serves on Chicago’s Human Resource board, but will step away from this role to serve on the Board of Education. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Mujeres Latinas en Accion, the Board of Directors for Latino Justice, the Board of Trustees for Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep, and the Latin School of Chicago’s Risk Management Committee.

2010

David R. Doyle, La Grange, Ill., contributed a chapter to the 2022 edition of the Business Bankruptcy Practice Handbook, an annual publication by the Illinois Institute of Continuing Education. In chapter six, titled “Advising Business Debtors: Alternatives to Bankruptcy,” Doyle explores strategic alternatives available to a distressed company outside of formal bankruptcy proceedings. Doyle is a member at Cozen O’Connor who is focused on creditor’s rights, insolvency matters, and commercial litigation.

2012

Lindsay M. Gephardt, Phoenix, was promoted to assistant bureau chief of the family violence bureau at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Gephardt also celebrated her 10-year milestone as a prosecutor in the fall.

Chris B. Grubb, Evanston, Ill., and his wife, Megan, welcomed their first child, Benjamin, on December 23, 2021. Mom and baby are doing great, and Chris is over the moon.

Bruno R. Marasso, Chicago, was elevated to partner at Romanucci & Blandin, LLC. Marasso was named in the 2023 edition of the Best Lawyers in America, and in September 2022 was installed as president of the Justinian Society of Lawyers.

2013

Angeline R. Babel, Middleton, Wis., was promoted to partner at the national law firm Quarles & Brady. Babel is a Madison-based member of the intellectual property team. Babel represents a broad range of clients in all aspects of patent law in the life sciences, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology fields, including patent prosecution, strategic management of patent portfolios, freedom-to-operate opinions, and due diligence and landscape analysis. She is familiar with preparing and prosecuting both United States and foreign patent applications.

Anni Safarloo, Glendale, Calif., has been selected to the 2022 Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for her continued, tireless work on behalf of her clients and her overall dedication to the practice of law. Safarloo is an associate in Liebert Cassidy Whitmore’s Los Angeles office where she provides representation and counsel to public agency and nonprofit clients in transactional, administrative, and pre-litigation and litigation matters.

2014

Daisy Ayllon, Chicago, was selected by the AAJ to join its Class of 2023 Leadership Academy, and was recognized at the annual AAJ convention. Each year 15 highly qualified and talented attorneys from around the country are selected for the program. Ayllon is an associate attorney at Levin & Perconti.

Martin D. Gould, Chicago, was elevated to partner at Romanucci & Blandin, LLC. Gould was also named in the 2023 edition of the Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch

2015

Bei Yang, River Edge, N.J., was added to Goldberg Segalla’s Workers’ Compensation Group in Newark, New Jersey. Yang concentrates her practice on counseling and defending employers, insurers, and thirdparty administrators in workers’ compensation matters. She is involved in every stage of the litigation process from inception through resolution. Goldberg Segalla is a national civil litigation firm with more than 20 offices in 10 states spanning major metro markets across the United States, providing strategic coverage wherever our clients do business.

2016

Nicolette A. Ward, Chicago, was hired as associate attorney at Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP in July 2022. Ward focuses her practice on medical negligence and health care, product liability, general trial practice, and insurance.

2017

Bryce T. Hensley, Chicago, was elevated to senior attorney at Romanucci & Blandin, LLC. Hensley was also named in the 2023 edition of the Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch

2020

Isabela Bacidore, Riverside, Ill., was involved in a major birth injury lawsuit that obtained a $16 million settlement on behalf of a child who suffered preventable hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy and asphyxia injuries at birth, resulting in permanent cognitive and developmental impairments. She is also one of the attorneys handling dozens of cases filed against the State of Illinois after 36 veterans died from COVID-19 at the LaSalle Veterans Home. Bacidore joined Levin & Perconti as a law clerk in May 2018, and was hired as an associate attorney in January 2021.